1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric-circuit board assembling line for assembling an electric-circuit board by mounting an electric component (e.g., an electronic component) on a circuit-support board; an electric-circuit board producing method; and an electric-circuit board assembling line controlling program.
2. Discussion of Related Art
There is known an electric-circuit board assembling line in which a plurality of electric-circuit-board-assembling-related devices are arranged and each of the devices performs an electric-circuit-board-assembling-related step that is related to an operation in which an electric-circuit board is assembled by mounting an electric component on a circuit-support board. In this assembling line, usually, the assembling-related devices are provided with respective control devices that are independent of each other, and accordingly it has been a conventional practice that the assembling-related devices are operated, by an operator, independent of each other. For example, when the assembling line is started, respective start/stop switches of the assembling-related devices are turned ON by the operator. Likewise, when the operation of the assembling line is ended, the respective start/stop switches of the devices are turned OFF by the operator. This is true with all the other operations of the assembling-related devices, that is, the operator must operate the individual devices independent of each other, which complicates the management of the assembling line and lowers the efficiency of management of the operator.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to simplify management of an electric-circuit board assembling line and improve efficiency with which an operator manages the assembling line. This object may be achieved according to any one of the following numbered modes of the present invention in the form of an electric-circuit board assembling, an electric-circuit board producing method, and an electric-circuit board assembling line controlling program, each of which may depend from the other mode or modes, where appropriate, to indicate and clarify possible combinations of technical features. It is, however, to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the technical features or any combinations thereof that will be described below for illustrative purposes only. It is to be further understood that a plurality of elements or features included in any one of the following modes of the invention are not necessarily provided altogether, and that the invention may be embodied without some of the elements or features described with respect to the same mode.
(1) An electric-circuit board assembling line, comprising:
a plurality of electric-circuit-board-assembling-related apparatuses which include respective control devices independent of each other and which perform respective electric-circuit-board-assembling-related operations that are related to assembling of an electric-circuit board including a substrate board and at least one electric component mounted thereon, the respective control devices of the electric-circuit-board-assembling-related apparatuses including a master control device, and at least one slave control device subject to the master control device;
at least one communication device which connects the master control device and the slave control device, to each other; and
at least one of (a) the master control device being operable to control the electric-circuit-board-assembling-related apparatus including the slave control device, (b) the master control device supplying, to the slave control device, information about the electric-circuit board to be assembled, and (c) the slave control device supplying, to the master control device, information about a state of the electric-circuit-board-assembling-related apparatus including the slave control device, so that the master control device recognizes the state.
According to this mode, the master control device and the slave control device are connected to each other by the communication device. If the master control device can be operated by an operator to control the slave control device, the operator need not move to the place where the slave control device is located. In addition, if the master control device can supply, to the slave control device, information about the electric-circuit board to be assembled, the operator need not input the information to the slave control device. Moreover, if the slave control device can supply, to the master control device, information about a state of the assembling-related apparatus including the slave control device, so that the master control device can recognize the state, the assembling line as a whole can be easily controlled. In the last case, the operator working at the place where the master control device is located can recognize the state of the assembling-related apparatus including the slave control device, whereby the operator can easily monitor the assembling line. If at least one of the above-indicated features (a), (b), (c) is employed, the assembling line can be more easily used. And, if all those features (a), (b), (c) are employed, the operator can operate, without needing to move away from the master control device, the assembling line as a whole, input control information to the assembling line, and monitor the assembling line, whereby the assembling line can be most easily used. In addition, if the master control device is arranged to automatically monitor and/or control the slave control device, the plurality of assembling-related apparatuses can be controlled in cooperation with each other, so that the production efficiency of the assembling line can be improved.
(2) An electric-circuit board assembling line according to the mode (1), wherein the slave control device as a first slave control device is capable of operating as a second master control device, and the master control device as a first master control device is capable of operating as a second slave control device subject to the second master control device.
According to this mode, if the master control device as a first master control device has failed, the slave control device as a first slave control device can be operated as a second master control device, so as to continue the electric-circuit-board-assembling-related operations. In addition, in the case where the operator is required, for some reason, to stay with a specific one of the respective control devices of the assembling-related apparatuses, the specific control device can be operated as the master control device so as to monitor the assembling line as a whole. Assembling of a specific sort of electric-circuit board may not need operation of a specific sort of assembling-related apparatus. If the control device of that assembling-related apparatus has been operated as the master control device, the control device of another assembling-related apparatus may be newly operated as a master control device.
(3) An electric-circuit board assembling line according to the mode (2), wherein each of the respective control devices of the electric-circuit-board-assembling-related apparatuses is capable of operating as each of a master control device and a slave control device.
The present electric-circuit board assembling line can enjoy a very high degree of freedom.
(4) An electric-circuit board assembling line according to any of the modes (1) to (3), wherein each one of the respective control devices of the electric-circuit-board-assembling-related apparatuses performs a plurality of operations identical with a plurality of operations that are performed by each of the other control devices of the electric-circuit-board-assembling-related apparatuses.
According to this mode, any of the respective control devices of the assembling-related apparatuses can be operated as a master control device, and the remaining control devices can all be operated as slave control devices. Thus, a degree of freedom of use of the assembling line is improved. In addition, the master control device and the slave control device can be more easily exchanged with each other.
(5) An electric-circuit board assembling line according to any of the modes (1) to (4), wherein each of the electric-circuit-board-assembling-related apparatuses comprises an electric-component mounting device which mounts at least one electric component on the substrate board.
(6) An electric-circuit board assembling line according to any of the modes (1) to (5), wherein the slave control device supplies, to the master control device, information about a state of the electric-circuit-board-assembling-related apparatus including the slave control device, and the master control device controls, based on the supplied information, the electric-circuit-board-assembling-related apparatus including the master control device and the electric-circuit-board-assembling-related apparatus including the slave control device.
According to this mode, for example, when the assembling-related apparatus including the slave control device has failed to mount an electric component on the substrate board, thereby producing a defective substrate board, the master control device can do at least one of (a) inhibiting one or more assembling-related apparatuses located downstream of the apparatus in question, from performing respective assembling-related operations on the defective board and (b) commanding one or more assembling-related apparatuses located upstream of the apparatus in question, to perform respective assembling-related operations on one more substrate board. In addition, when an assembling-related apparatus including a slave control device has become unable to supply a specific sort of electric components, the master control device tries to find an assembling-related apparatus able to supply that sort of electric components, and control a slave control device of that assembling-related apparatus to supply that sort of electric components.
(7) An electric-circuit board assembling line according to any of the modes (1) to (6), wherein the master control device supplies, to the slave control device, information about the substrate board.
According to this mode, in the case where the assembling line employs a plurality of slave control devices, the master control device directly supplies the information about the substrate board, to each of the slave control devices.
(8) An electric-circuit board assembling line according to any of the modes (1) to (6), wherein the respective control devices of the electric-circuit-board-assembling-related apparatuses include at least two slave control devices subject to the master control device, and wherein the master control device supplies, to one of the two slave control devices, information about the substrate board, and the one slave control device supplies, to the other slave control device, the information about the substrate board.
According to this mode, in the case where the assembling line employs three slave control devices, the master control device indirectly supplies the information about the substrate board, to the third or last one of the three slave control devices via the intermediate two slave control devices.
(9) A method of assembling an electric-circuit board with an electric-circuit board assembling line including a plurality of electric-circuit-board-assembling-related apparatuses which include respective control devices independent of each other and which perform respective electric-circuit-board-assembling-related operations that are related to assembling of an electric-circuit board including a circuit-support board and at least one electric component mounted thereon, the method comprising the steps of:
operating a first one of the respective control devices of the electric-circuit-board-assembling-related apparatuses as a master control device, and operating at least one second one of the respective control devices as at least one slave control device subject to the master control device, and
at least one of (a) operating the master control device to control the electric-circuit-board-assembling-related apparatus including the slave control device, (b) supplying, from the master control device to the slave control device, information about the electric-circuit board to be assembled, and (c) supplying, from the slave control device to the master control device, information about a state of the electric-circuit-board-assembling-related apparatus including the slave control device, so that the master control device recognizes the state.
The present electric-circuit-board assembling method may be modified according to any of the modes (2) to (8).
(10) An electric-circuit board assembling line controlling program which is executed by a computer to control an electric-circuit board assembling line including a plurality of electric-circuit-board-assembling-related apparatuses which include respective control devices independent of each other and which perform respective electric-circuit-board-assembling-related operations that are related to assembling of an electric-circuit board including a substrate board and at least one electric component mounted thereon, the program comprising:
a master-control-device operating portion for operating a first one of the respective control devices of the electric-circuit-board-assembling-related apparatuses, as a master control device, and
a slave-control-device operating portion for operating at least one second one of the respective control devices of the electric-circuit-board-assembling-related apparatuses, as at least one slave control device subject to the master control device, for at least one of (a) operating the master control device to control the electric-circuit-board-assembling-related apparatus including the slave control device, (b) supplying, from the master control device to the slave control device, information about the electric-circuit board to be assembled, and (c) supplying, from the slave control device to the master control device, information about a state of the electric-circuit-board-assembling-related apparatus including the slave control device, so that the master control device recognizes the state.
The present electric-circuit board assembling line controlling program may be modified according to any of the modes (2) to (8).
(11) An electric-circuit board assembling line controlling program according to the mode (10), wherein the master-control-device operating portion is capable of operating each one of the respective control devices of the electric-circuit-board-assembling-related apparatuses, as a master control device, and the slave-control-device operating portion is capable of operating the each one of the respective control devices as a slave control device subject to the master control device.
(12) A recording medium for recording an electric-circuit board assembling line controlling program such that the program is readable by a computer to control an electric-circuit board assembling line including a plurality of electric-circuit-board-assembling-related apparatuses which include respective control devices independent of each other and which perform respective electric-circuit-board-assembling-related operations that are related to assembling of an electric-circuit board including a substrate board and at least one electric component mounted thereon, the program comprising:
a master-control-device operating portion for operating a first one of the respective control devices of the electric-circuit-board-assembling-related apparatuses, as a master control device, and
a slave-control-device operating portion for operating at least one second one of the respective control devices of the electric-circuit-board-assembling-related apparatuses, as at least one slave control device subject to the master control device, for at least one of (a) operating the master control device to control the electric-circuit-board-assembling-related apparatus including the slave control device, (b) supplying, from the master control device to the slave control device, information about the electric-circuit board to be assembled, and (c) supplying, from the slave control device to the master control device, information about a state of the electric-circuit-board-assembling-related apparatus including the slave control device, so that the master control device recognizes the state.